The Dominion MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, l916. SEDITION AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2954, 18 December 1916, Page 6

The Dominion MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1916. SEDITION AND THE WAR

The Reports; of the hearing at GhristOjOuixh of the charges of uttering seditious' l-anguago brought by the Crown against Robert SeMple go to show .that the presiding Magistrate allowed the accused the fullest possible latitude in the conduct of .his defence, and that Semple showed some still iu seeking to excuse his seditious utterances. He admitted tha use of the language complained oi, and sought to justify it on the ground that ho was advocating t,'<ie cause of the working people This plea, designed to win popular sympathy, and to give an a .<T of martyrdom to one guilty of 4 very grave offence against tho welfare of his. country, is one . commonly usod by tho class of demagogue to which the accused belongs. It has been in tho past, and. will no doubt continue to be, a cloak for maffiy ill-deeds. In the case under review; it \yill not bear a moment's examination. The charges against the accused arose out of speeches in which he sought to inflame public opinion against the bourse which Parliament and the military authorities _ necessary to the successful Prosecution of the war-bo far as -N,«w _ Zealand is concerned. Bo so'jght, in effect, to overthrow °j r , % hamper their efforts. Now, if 'tits war is not won by Britain and • her Allies—and won decisively—then every man, woman, and child throughout the British Empire is goiiig to be so much tho worse off. The working man will suffer as everyone else will suffer, because an indecisive ending to the war will mean that the future of our nation will , be. darkened with the terrible burden of preparation against a renewal of the conflict at some future time. If Germany is not decisively beaten, then we may rest assured that unless we are prepared to come under the domination of the Germanic Powers we shajl have to spend the years ahead in the training of our man-power and the building of armaments to safeguard our national existence and liberties, with the certain knowledge that to fail to do so would be to invite the aggression of our archenemy. Instead of the resources of the Empire being used for purposes of peaceful development and the advancement of the lot of all classes, they would be eaten up in colossal expenditure on naval and military forces. The heavy burden of taxation imposed by the necessities of the present war would be largely retained, without tho compensating advantages derived from the present exceptional demand for, our products; and not one class,' but overy class, would suffer indefinitely from tho straitened conditions that would, inevitably accompany this'state of affairs. The man who talks.about helping the cause of tho worker by hindering and hampering our efforts to win this war is either a fool or is wilfully misleading those he professes to be anxious to serve. Unless wo win this war decisively then the workers will suffer quite as nnich as anyone else, and probably moro than most. The conviction and sentencing of Semple may be' taken as a clear and emphatic indication that those in authority are determined that in matters pertaining to tho conduct of the war the laws of the country shall be sternly enforced. This is as it should be, and as the great majority of > tho people desire. It 'Would be KinV.irln.l anc j ' v n ou M bo a S'-oss betrayal of trugt on the part of Ministers of tho Crown if they permitted thcMaw to Do-set at defiance and our military efforts hampered, by individuals or sections of tho community who may dislike the laws passed in the national interests. Free speech is a preoious thing, but speech which strikes at the freedom of the nation by ™g the end of the enemy, spcech which seeks to sow dissension and cause internal strife at a time when tho nation is faced with tho greatest peril in its history, and wh<in unity of effort and singleness of purpose aro its greatest needs, is littlo less than base treachery, however wellintentioned the speakers may be. We cannot afford to take any risks in this war, and one of the things we have not yet fully learned is that the license of speech and the liberty of action permissible in times, of peace cannot bo indulged in wrth tho samo freedom in times of war. It is a common thing for a certain class of persons to say that as wo are a small community anything wo may or may not do can havo little effect on tho progress of tho war. Semple said this in tho course of his defence. It is a fallacious view, and even if it were not it would ho to our everlasting dishonour if we held back from doing our best under tho shameful pretext that tho most we could do was bub littlo. But tho part New Zealand can play in the war is not unimportant For two reasons; firstly, because every man who can possibly lie sent i;; needed in the fighting lines to make the assurance of victory complete; and secondly, ( because the moral effect of unity is

of immcnso importance and and grows still mNoatcr as (ho struggle drags on Any weakening on our part would not bo taken to mean only llks loss of such service ns we coulct render, but would bo taken by our enemies, and possibly bv our Alhes as well, as symptomatic of tho f/windhug courage- and determination pi the people of tlio British Empire. There is a greater call oil us to prcsc.nl, a solid and united front to the enemy to-day than at any time since tho first mouths of tbo war. It. is now that the determination und staying, power of tho opposing nations are being tested; it is now that the enemy is showing signs that lie is weakening and anxious for a peace that will enable him to begin the struggle anew, at some fufcuro timo when circumstances are more in liis it is now that wo must assist with all the means in our power, not only by force of arms, but by force of example, to discourage and overthrow tho enemy. We cannot play our part with credit and with honour if wo arc torn with internal dissension fomented by the violent talk of irresponsible or traitorous malcontents, " The law is intended to protect loyal and honest citizons against such dangers, and never was there greater need oC a strict enforcement of the law relating to seditious speech than -at this time o£ war.